In London, Carol Hammond (Florinda Bolkan) lives in a fancy building with her husband Frank Hammond (Jean Sorel) and her stepdaughter Joan Hammond (Edy Gall). Carol is the beloved daughter of the wealthy and prominent lawyer and politician Edmond Brighton (Leo Genn) and Frank is his partner in his office and has a love affair with Deborah (Silvia Monti). Carol's next door neighbor Julia Durer (Anita Strindberg) is a depraved woman that promotes parties with drugs and orgies. Carol has psychoanalyze sessions with Dr. Kerr (George Rigaud) and is intrigued with a nightmare where she stabs Julia to death three times with a couple watching the murder. When Julia is found dead in her apartment, the efficient Inspector Corvin (Stanley Baker) and his partner Sgt. Brandon (Alberto de Mendoza) are assigned to investigate. All the evidences point out to Carol, but was a dream or reality?"Una lucertola con la pelle di donna", a.k.a "A Lizard in Woman's Skin", is a great giallo by Lucio Fulci. The story is complex with many twists and there are many suspects that might have killed Julia Durer. The conclusion is exceptional, with Inspector Corvin soling the case. Florinda Bolkan has great performance and is extremely elegant. The graphic dog scene is impressive and was necessary to prove in court that it was the work of the special effects. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Uma Lagartixa num Corpo de Mulher" ("A Gecko in a Woman's Body")

An early effort from Italian goremeister Lucio Fulci, this slow-moving giallo has a really odd dream-like atmosphere to commend it. Despite being unintelligible and rather too complex in parts, for the main it's an intriguing murder mystery packed with suspects, red herrings, and a dogged inspector pursuing the case until its very end. Unlike most gialli of the time, there is only one murder here, but every facet of the crime is explored in full detail.There are plenty of good points in this film's favour. Firstly, the wacky direction from Fulci, which has the camera darting all over the place. Secondly, a rubbery bat attack which comes out of nowhere and rips off a certain Hitchcock classic. Then we also have an imported Stanley Baker lurking about, whistling a little ditty constantly. He's a cross between John Saxon and Donald Pleasence in DEATHLINE - fantastic! The only thing missing in this film is the excess gore we've come to expect from Fulci - apart from the one bloody murder and an arm slashing, this is gore free, although there is a very disturbing moment involving vivisection. The acting is generally very good here, and a lot better than you might expect. Florinda Bolkan is very good as the confused, haunted victim and Leo Genn adds a touch of class to the movie.Don't be put off by the slow first half, as things soon pick up in the latter segment. Okay, so at times they do get too complex, but there's a wonderfully tense chase which seems to last forever, plus about a billion different people involved in the crime at the end - and the motives are somewhat bizarre, to say the least. This isn't a brilliant film by any means, but I would recommend it to Italian horror/mystery fans as there are a lot of interesting bits.

Delirious movie and one of Fulci's best. Set in London, there are some decent street scenes but these are mainly the usual 'tourist' ones but there is spectacular use made of Alexandra Palace towards the end. The opening is simply wonderful. Having purchased the recent Optimum release, I was comparing various versions I have by screening the opening sequence from the train/orgy dream sequence and through the lesbian seduction scene on the red bed and didn't even begin to tire of watching it. There is also a most graphic and affective breast slashing scene I did not recall and the Morricone music holding everything together beautifully. There are stretches, especially towards the end , when it is a bit 'police procedural' but there is certainly enough surreal/psychedelic visuals to prevent this becoming the least bit pedestrian.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Lucio Fulci made better giallos than Dario Argento. I'm sorry, but this early classic is truly stunning. From the opening scene in the train, to the final twist at the end, it will leave your arm hairs standing at attention.It's gory, it's thrilling, it's creepy and it's moody. It absolutely captures the early 70's psychedelic 'thing' without being cheesy. It's basically a psychological study of a woman who seems deeply troubled but, then again, may just be delusional. Until the end, we really have no idea which is the case, but when we find out, we're surprised. The plot is genius."A Lizard in a Woman's Skin" is a true must-see for giallo fans. It's a recommended-see for horror fans. It's a probably-should-see for gore fans. And it's a better-be-on-your-shelf for Fulci fans. Classic movie fans and critics? Stay away. This is a film that you were not born to GET and you shouldn't attempt to.By the way, my favorite Ennio Morricone soundtrack second only to "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." 9 out of 10, kids.